Doctor of Pharmacy

The title Doctor of Pharmacy is an academic degree and is awarded primarily in the Anglo-Saxon region by accredited universities . It represents an extension of the traditional pharmacy degree to include a doctorate . The title Pharm.D. is the highest scientific degree in the university study of pharmacy .

Title leadership

The title Doctor of Pharmacy is abbreviated in the USA - as in most countries of the world - as Dr. (in front of the name) or Pharm.D. or pharmD (after the name).

The extent to which the professional doctorate Doctor of Pharmacy corresponds to the third level of the Bologna classification of degrees is assessed differently. Like a doctoral program, this title is based on a written work that must be defended orally. Other issues, especially procedural issues, differ from the classic doctoral program. In many respects, the procedure is similar to the doctoral procedure in other subjects, which is often awarded for further scientific questions. However, there are deviations, especially in comparison to the "Dr. rer.nat." should be emphasized, which to a large extent comprises basic pharmaceutical, chemical or botanical questions.

For this reason, the use of the title is only permitted if the full title "Doctor of Pharmacy" and the designation of origin are stated.

Training in the USA

In the USA, the study of pharmacy at universities was gradually changed in the 1990s. A distinct clinical part was added. At the same time, the duration of study was extended by two to three years. The course has been completely restructured since then and also provides guidance for independent academic work. Due to the very high demand at many US universities, the title Doctor of Pharmacy is now offered as the only possible form of degree in pharmacy. According to the Bologna criteria , the Doctor of Pharmacy represents the highest, third level of university education, while US pharmacy studies previously completed with the second level (such as a Master's “MS” or a Bachelor's “BS”). The marks “rite”, “cum laude”, “magna cum laude” and “summa cum laude”, which are customary internationally for the doctoral degree, are awarded as an assessment of the performance and are also symbolized by different cords on the robe at the graduation ceremony. With the acquisition of the title, the border on the doctoral hat is turned from right (Bachelor / Master degree) to left (doctoral degree) at the award ceremony .

The Doctor of Pharmacy is a full and unrestricted doctoral degree. Like the “Doctor of Business Administration” (DBA) or the “Doctor of Medicine” (MD), it is assigned to the profession-specific doctorate titles (professional doctorates). Pharmacists in Anglo-Saxon countries can also often qualify for a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) graduate . The Ph.D. is generally more scientific , the Pharm.D. more clinically shaped. The Ph.D. is also not integrated into the study period, but follows on from it. The title “ pharmacist ” in the German sense is listed in the USA as “RPh” (registered pharmacist) and is therefore not associated with the title Pharm.D. synonymous , although almost all young pharmacists in the USA have now completed their pharmacy studies with a Pharm.D. break up.

Doctor of Pharmacy Program

In addition to the extended and intensified pharmacy studies, US pharmacists can obtain the title of Pharm.D at some large and well-known universities. can also be obtained through a doctoral degree, which usually consists of at least nine trimesters . In these doctoral courses, based on the changed course, a specialization in clinical pharmacy is achieved. Due to changes in the accreditation of US universities by the authorities, these doctoral courses have only been available to foreign pharmacists nationwide since 2009 if they have previously obtained a US or Canadian license to practice pharmacy or if they have previously studied pharmacy in the USA or Canada completed successfully. Obtaining the Pharm.D. Degree in such a doctoral program following the degree requires the processing of patient cases in all organ systems and numerous clinical pictures, including intensive care medicine , presentations in front of a specialist audience, at least 27 exams , numerous tests and a total of 36 clinical examinations, which are carried out directly on the ward in the university clinic the ward doctors and pharmaceutical professors. Numerous lectures in the medical disciplines of immunology , cardiology , pulmonology , endocrinology , infectious diseases , nephrology , neurology , psychiatry and gastroenterology must be attended and concluded with exams. Flanking some need - partly US-federal-specific - legal knowledge exams and courses are stored on the scientific and statistical work. In order to obtain the title, an academic thesis is then required, which can be published. The title is then awarded in a festive closing ceremony by the Dean and a doctoral committee.

meaning

The title Doctor of Pharmacy is associated worldwide with the change in pharmacy towards clinical pharmacy and clinical pharmacology. The special clinical component enables Pharm.D. z. B. for use on the ward in the hospital, which is now required especially in the USA, but was rarely the case before. In addition, a specialization (so-called residency) in a field (e.g. oncology , transplant medicine , immunology ) is often desired, especially at well-known hospitals . The pharmaceutical career is then the same as for US doctors (Doctor of Medicine, MD). The Pharm.D. is then integrated into the “health care team” and directly responsible for optimizing therapy for multimorbid patients . In the international pharmaceutical industry, the title Pharm.D. now required for certain management positions, e.g. B. in large Swiss , English and US American companies. In public pharmacies, Pharm.D. assigns special rights, a Pharm.D. z. B. in Great Britain issue follow-up prescriptions , in the USA z. b. Independently manage outpatient clinics for anticoagulant control. To do this, however, additional licenses are sometimes required.

Further studies

Only after obtaining the title Pharm.D. some further exams and specializations can be taken (e.g. “Residency”, see section “Importance”). B. the other title Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS) , awarded by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (bps) . The “american society of consultant pharmacists” has also dedicated itself specifically to the lifelong study for Pharm.D. prescribed.

literature

• S. Siebenand: The way to the master. In: Pharmaceutical newspaper. No. 6, Eschborn 2006. ISSN  0031-7136

Web links

• Doctor of Pharmacy Program from the University of California San Francisco
• Doctor of Pharmacy Program at Purdue University
• Doctor of Pharmacy Program from the University of Florida
• American society of consultant pharmacists

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs: Leadership of foreign university degrees. Retrieved September 10, 2017 . 
3. ↑ Board of Pharmacy Specialties: Pharmacotherapy ( Memento of the original of May 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 26, 2011.